Wendy Williams is Headed to Broadway!

*Wendy Williams is taking over y’all! The talk show diva is about to rock your socks off in her Broadway debut. She’s set to play the role of “Matron Mama Morton” in Broadway’s “Chicago” musical.

In an interview with Essence.com, the gossip queen dished about her experience and upcoming performances.

ESSENCE.com: You hosted Broadway.com’s Audience Choice Awards (last) Sunday and it’s all based on fan votes. So, which shows are your favorite shows on Broadway right now

WENDY WILLIAMS: I haven’t been in some time. I’ve been very busy with the show, to be honest. I would love to see Kinky Boots which I plan on going to see at some point this month with my parents. I also want to see Motown. I heard that was really good. But again I haven’t had a chance to really do much of anything because the grind of doing a daily show also maintaining my home life and preparing to do the talk show while being in Chicago has been all consuming.

ESSENCE.com: This is your warm welcome to the Broadway community because you’re going on to play Matron Mama Morton in Chicago in a couple weeks.

WILLIAMS: Yes, I was asked to take the role of Matron Mama Morton and of course when you get asked to do something by Broadway you do not say ‘no’ because this is a dream that many people don’t even get the chance to realize. So I’m very excited to play that role for seven weeks, eight shows a week, six days a week. I can do it!

ESSENCE.com: How are you preparing?

WILLIAMS: I start vocal lessons in two weeks and then we start rehearsals in three weeks. To prepare for the vocal lessons it’s not really about teaching me how to sing on key and things like that, I am the one who wanted to take vocal lessons. It’s something I wanted to do because I need to know how to change my voice. Even though my voice has been my money-maker my whole career from radio and now to TV, talking in regular tones for an hour on a talk show is easy. And talking in regular tones for four hours on the radio was easy. But I don’t want to test it by screaming on Broadway, where you have to talk a little bit louder. Then of course the singing number—I want to give it my all and that will mean perhaps blowing a vocal cord so I want to know how to pace myself to make sure that my voice is optimum.

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